Friday 26th July

Friday, 26 July 2024 06:00

By Steve Haigh

Somerset Olympic Rower, Helen Glover, will be carrying the Team GB flag, together with diver Tom Daley, at this evening's opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics. Work has been completed building a new mental health ward in Yeovil. Martock Library is reducing its opening hours after losing funding from the Parish Council...and more.

Somerset Olympic Rower, Helen Glover, will be carrying the Team GB flag, together with diver Tom Daley, at this evening's opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics. Helen competes in her fourth Olympics and says leading Team GB at the opening event will be a proud moment.

Work has been completed building a new mental health ward in Yeovil. Patients under treatment at St Andrews in Wells will now be transferred to the new unit on Preston Road. Despite strong objections, NHS Somerset Clinical Commissioning Group voted to close the mental health ward at St Andrews in Wells and relocate all patients to Yeovil.

Wildlife charities in Somerset are struggling to keep up with high demand due to an increase in domestic animal cruelty cases. According to the RSPCA, animal cruelty is rising more quickly in Somerset than in other parts of the country.

Martock Library is reducing its opening hours after losing its funding from the Parish Council. Martock Parish Council had been giving the library £5,000 a year to help operate its normal opening hours but has now removed the funding. The library will open on Tuesday and Saturday from 9:30 am until 1 pm and Wednesday from 1:30 pm to 5 pm. On Monday and Friday, it will be open between 9:30 am and 5 pm but will stay closed on Thursday and Sunday.

Two local men, who’ve raised over £750,000 for military charities, have been presented with a top award. Benn Laidler and Steve Shaw of Torque Events were given the Sir James Gildea Global Award at the annual meeting of the armed forces charity, SSAFA. Their latest fund-raising event, Driving Force for SSAFA, starts on July 30th, with fifty vehicles taking part in a 10-day driving challenge to Gibraltar.

A school lollipop lady in Milborne Port has retired after 30 years doing the job. Cora Pinkawa, who’s 85, received a thank-you gift on the last day of term at Milborne Port Primary School to make her retirement.

A picture framing business in Martock has been named the Best Family-Owned Art Gallery in the South of England. Martock Gallery on Water Street was named in the SME News UK Enterprise Awards.

More from News

Thursday 30th October

Bird flu has been found at a nature reserve in Somerset, closing part of it down. St Margaret’s Hospice in Somerset is calling for the hospice sector to be given more central funding. The Barrington Boar in Barrington has been placed 12th in The Good Food Guide’s list of 100 best pubs in Britain... and more
Wednesday 29th October

Police are investigating a suspected arson attack on a mobile home near Yeovil. Somerset Council is suggesting people turn their pumpkins into soup this Halloween. People in Yeovil have until Sunday to comment on controversial plans to sell off four car parks in the town centre... and more.
Tuesday 28th October

Plans have been submitted to build 12 new homes in Chard. A nursery in Yeovil has been rated ‘overall good' by Ofsted. A Somerset mortgage broker has achieved national recognition. A stretch of the M5 at Wellington will be shut every night this week...and more
Monday 27th October

The Unite union has announced four days of strikes by its members at Leonardo in Yeovil. One of Yeovil’s busiest roads is closed to traffic today. Staff at the Ferne Animal Sanctuary near Chard raised £3,000 taking part in a Sleeping Ruff challenge at the weekend...and more
Friday 24th October

New figures show that 500 young people were either injured or killed on roads in Somerset and Devon last year. The Old School Community Centre in Queen Camel has reopened, thanks to a donation of £10,000 from Somerset Freemasons. Two Fleet Air Arm engineers based at RNAS Yeovilton have recreated a family moment from 26 years ago...and more
Thursday 23rd October

Yeovil-born actress Sarah Parish is supporting efforts to reopen the Octagon theatre. Mobility scooter campaigners in Somerset have welcomed a government review of the legislation governing the use of mobility scooters on public highways. Changes are being made to the dates when garden waste is collected in Somerset...and more
Wednesday 22nd October

A major house builder in the South West says government targets for new house building in Somerset are 'unrealistic'. Pizza Hut is closing its restaurant in Yeovil. Staff at the Ferne Animal Sanctuary near Chard will be taking part in a ‘Sleeping Ruff’ challenge tomorrow...and more .
Tuesday 21st October

Reckleford in Yeovil is to shut for 15 days for essential drainage works. Somerset NHS Foundation Trust has paid out compensation of £23 million for claims related to birth injuries. A Grade II listed building in Glastonbury has been converted into a health and wellbeing centre...and more